I Became the Successor of the Martial God Chapter 47

I Became the Successor of the Martial God

Chapter 47.

A battle had begun.

No, in fact, it was hardly even a battle. It was more like a one-sided massacre.

“Y-you bastards! Aaaargh!”

“The Sword Saint’s family…!”

A flash of sword light flickered in the darkness.

Swoosh!

The limbs of the guild members flew off in an instant.

Velvet stood watching the scene unfold.

“Don’t you dare lay a hand on my comrades!”

“What a pathetic show of camaraderie.”

Yoo Baek-jun sneered at him.

Velvet, fully equipped, glared at Yoo Baek-jun. His eyes were filled with hostility.

“Who the hell are you?”

“Hmm, do you really need to know that?”

“Then I’ll make you talk!”

Velvet charged toward Yoo Baek-jun.

Surrounded on all sides, there was no way to escape. In that case…

‘Kill him and clear a path.’

Yoo Baek-jun’s weapon was a spear.

If Velvet could close the distance before Baek-jun had time to react, he could prevent him from using it.

Velvet used a skill to close the gap and entered Yoo Baek-jun’s range.

‘Got him!’

A range where the spear couldn’t be swung.

Velvet drew a dagger from his wrist and aimed for Yoo Baek-jun’s throat.

And at that very moment.

“…!”

Yoo Baek-jun threw his spear aside.

Simultaneously, his right hand moved like a snake, and he raised one knee high.

“Kahak!”

His right hand grabbed the back of Velvet’s neck and pulled him down into his knee.

A direct hit to the throat.

Velvet’s breath was completely cut off.

The spear returned to Yoo Baek-jun’s left hand. As he gripped the blade, lightning crackled and surged.

He then drove it straight into the Velvet’s abdomen.

Thud!

“Gaaaaaah!”

Crackle!

The lightning spread from Velvet’s abdomen throughout his entire body.

His body convulsed violently before he collapsed, black smoke pouring from his mouth.

“Young master, shall I kill him?”

“No, keep him alive. He probably knows a lot.”

“Understood.”

Yoo Baek-jun looked around the interior of the house.

The swordsmen were mercilessly killing those who resisted fiercely while capturing the rest.

Jin Seo-yeon approached him.

“Am I just some kind of living magical stone to you?”

“Hey, what kind of talk is that…? People might misunderstand! I just borrowed some magical power, that’s all.”

“Hmm.”

—Meooow.

Seol-yeong, nestled in her arms, cried out.

The lightning he had used earlier was partly thanks to Jin Seo-yeon’s help. He had borrowed her magical power.

Because of that, he could unleash lightning with even greater power than usual.

‘The reason I went through all this trouble…’

It was a kind of showmanship.

It would probably be useful later.

“Who are these guys?”

“Treasure Hunters.”

Yoo Baek-jun gestured toward Seol-yeong with his eyes. The little one seemed drowsy, perhaps because it was late at night.

Jin Seo-yeon, understanding the meaning behind his gaze, clicked her tongue.

“You… I thought what you said back then was just talk, but it wasn’t?”

“Why would I lie about something like that? If I say I’ll do it, I’ll do it. The same goes for promises.”

“Hmm.”

Jin Seo-yeon made a strange sound and nodded.

Meanwhile, the cleanup inside the house was completed.

“Young master, we’ve subdued everyone.”

“Good. What about the artifacts inside?”

“We’re in the process of retrieving them.”

Lee Jun-woo approached Yoo Baek-jun.

“Once the retrieval is done, demolish this building and take the captives to the Seoul branch.”

“Yes, and after that…?”

“We’ll extract information.”

Yoo Baek-jun turned his back.

“Let’s see how skilled our interrogators are.”

* * *

The location of Treasure Hunter’s base changes with each game.

The game, Heroes Road had many such elements.

So, to find their location, one had to use various methods to uncover it.

One of them was capturing and interrogating guild members who left the headquarters for looting.

—Aaaaaaah!

The main house of the Sword Saint family in Seoraksan.

From its basement, agonizing screams echoed. They belonged to the guild members captured earlier.

“How long do you think it will take?”

“One day should be enough, young master.”

The Sword Saint family’s basement had a place dedicated to interrogating and torturing enemies.

The person in charge, Ho-yeon, answered.

He was skilled and stayed out of the family’s power struggles, making him trustworthy.

‘He once supported Yoo Jong-min, but after he died, he completely distanced himself.’

The confidence in his voice was reassuring.

“None of those bastards can leave here alive. You understand that, right?”

“Yes.”

Ho-yeon bowed and left.

‘Now, then.’

Yoo Baek-jun tapped the table with his fingers.

“First, we’ll conquer the Red Gate, and then we’ll strike the Treasure Hunters immediately.”

No matter which route he took in the game, Yoo Baek-jun always dealt with the Treasure Hunters first.

Not just him—other veterans did the same. The reason was simple.

‘They snatch up all the rare opportunities.’

It was due to the guild leader’s ability. The longer they were left alone, the fewer opportunities remained for others.

“Those damn thieves.”

Yoo Baek-jun tilted his head after saying that. Could he really call them thieves?

‘Well, whatever. It’s better to deal with them now to avoid complications later.’

Yoo Baek-jun stood up.

Having heard about his actions in Seoul, Yoo Moo-hak summoned him to the audience chamber.

‘Man, he sure keeps a close eye on his son.’

Yoo Baek-jun walked the familiar path to the audience chamber. Knock, knock—he rapped on the door.

“Enter.”

Creak!

Normally, there would be attendants, but today, there was no one. Only two people were present.

Yoo Baek-jun and Yoo Moo-hak—father and son.

“Why did you act on your own?”

The father’s words to his son were reproachful.

He was likely referring to the meeting—why Yoo Baek-jun had unilaterally decided to conquer the gate.

That must be what he meant.

“I thought it was a good opportunity to put them in our debt.”

“The Hunter Association and the Crimson Crusade? What benefit does that bring us?”

“Those two will remember what I did yesterday. In the future, if the Sword Saint family faces trouble, we can count on their help.”

Yoo Moo-hak scoffed at that.

Yoo Baek-jun ignored it and picked up some refreshments nearby.

High-quality Honey cookie—it tasted quite good.

“Do you think the Sword Saint family would ever be in such a situation?”

“Well…”

Yoo Baek-jun chuckled.

Of course, it will happen, old man.

If Yoo Tae-rang becomes the family head, the family will be completely ruined.

In fact, even if Yoo Baek-jun becomes the family head, there will be several difficult situations.

Especially when confronting the Hunter Association.

“It might happen, Father.”

“…”

Yoo Moo-hak, who had been looking out the window, turned his back.

“The Hunter Association is worthless. They would never help our family.”

“Who knows what the future holds? Times have changed, Father. The old noble families have fallen, and new guilds have risen in power.”

Among the noble families like the Sword Saint family and the Peng family, some couldn’t keep up with the times.

“The Hunter Association might follow the same path.”

“The current Hunter Association?”

“Who knows? If a central figure emerges, that struggling Hunter Association might soar.”

“You’re quite confident.”

“I’m just preparing for an uncertain future.”

His tone carried the conviction that things would unfold as he said.

Yoo Moo-hak smiled faintly.

“Well, if I had to add more, I also wanted to take the initiative.”

“The initiative?”

“Yes. The mad dog of the Golden Lion Guild was acting like he was some kind of alliance leader.”

Yoo Baek-jun shrugged.

“With the mighty Sword Saint family here, how dare a mere Golden Lion? Should I just stand by and watch?”

“Is that arrogance and pride?”

“It’s confidence.”

Yoo Baek-jun smiled quietly.

“Confidence, as the heir of the Sword Saint family, that the alliance leader should be our family, not some petty guild.”

“So you backed Ryu Il-woo? That confidence… it’s something that shouldn’t be permitted…”

A faint smile appeared on Yoo Moo-hak’s lips.

“Tolerated only because you’re a member of the Sword Saint family. Fine. Do as you wish.”

It meant he would forgive Yoo Baek-jun’s unilateral actions. Yoo Baek-jun bowed and quickly left the audience chamber.

Silence returned to the room.

“Hmm…”

Yoo Moo-hak looked out the window.

Beyond the curtain surrounding the family, snow was falling.

A man quietly approached from behind.

“Family head, I heard you summoned me.”

“Yes.”

It was Lee Jun-woo from the Seoul branch of the Sword Saint family.

He bowed deeply, his head almost touching the ground. A brief silence followed.

“I heard you caused quite a stir in Seoul.”

“Yes, there were members of a group called the Treasure Hunters there. The young master discovered their location and ordered the attack.”

“He located them? How?”

“That… I don’t know either.”

Lee Jun-woo bowed his head apologetically.

“Was the family tracking their movements? Is that how he found out?”

“No. The guild had no connection to the family, so we didn’t pay them any attention.”

“And he knew about them?”

Yoo Moo-hak let out a long breath.

“And this time, he used a spear.”

“Yes, technically a throwing spear, but his handling was exceptionally skilled. He also wielded lightning-like power.”

“How did it look to you?”

Lee Jun-woo recalled what he had seen.

The thunder crashing from the sky, the roaring dragon, and Yoo Baek-jun wielding it.

“There are still areas where he’s lacking. But if given a little more time…”

Lee Jun-woo hesitated. Yoo Moo-hak guessed what he was about to say.

“He could rival Yoo Tae-rang.”

“…Yes.”

Lee Jun-woo was an outstanding hunter.

He had distinguished himself within the Sword Saint family with his remarkable skills and had earned Yoo Moo-hak’s trust.

For him to make such a declaration…

“Only about a month has passed. Before that, Yoo Baek-jun was nothing. Are you saying he’s grown this much in such a short time?”

“…I don’t understand it either.”

“Did you investigate?”

“Yes, I used my unique ability to trace his past movements.”

Lee Jun-woo took a shallow breath.

“I found traces of him leaving the family about a month ago. He went out with Shin Woo-hyun, the instructor who primarily trained him.”

“Did he leave of his own will?”

“I couldn’t determine that. But given the circumstances, it’s likely Shin Woo-hyun deceived him.”

Yoo Moo-hak gestured for him to continue.

“Yoo Baek-jun, Shin Woo-hyun, and a few disciples went up to a high place in Seoraksan. For unknown reasons, they separated there.”

“Separated…”

“Yoo Baek-jun returned to the family a few days later, but Shin Woo-hyun…”

Lee Jun-woo sighed.

“He lied to the family, saying he left for a mission. But…”

“He must have tried to kill Yoo Baek-jun.”

It was obvious.

Otherwise, there was no reason to lure Yoo Baek-jun outside with lies.

Then who ordered it?

That was also obvious.

“So Yoo Baek-jun found some kind of miraculous encounter out there. That’s the only explanation.”

“That’s correct, family head.”

“Can you find out what it was?”

“That’s…”

Lee Jun-woo shook his head.

He had used his unique ability to trace the past, but that was his limit.

“Very well. You’re dismissed.”

“Yes.”

Lee Jun-woo vanished like a shadow.

Left alone, Yoo Moo-hak sank into thought.

“Fist techniques and spear skills…”

A name came to mind.

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

“Yoo Tae-rang will return soon. Considering the personalities of those two, a storm of blood will sweep through the family.”

It was almost amusing.

“One followed my teachings more faithfully than anyone, the other adhered to the old ways.”

Who would’ve thought they’d split so clearly?

But it didn’t matter.

“The strong survive. As it has always been.”

Yoo Moo-hak gazed out the window.

The endlessly falling snow grew fiercer, soon turning into a blizzard.